Fluid-control apparatus.



H. B. SNYDER.

FLUID CONTROL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION man IULYIT, 19:1.

Patented July 23, 1918.

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HARRISON B. SNYDER, 0F PALM'IRA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FLUID-CONTROL APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, I-IARRIsoN B. SNYDER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Palmyra, in the county of Lebanon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fluid- Control Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an apparatus adapted to control the outflow and inflow of liquid into tanks, basins and the like, and more particularly to an improved means for regulating the opening andclosing of a valve which may directly or indirectly control the flow of fluid into or the flow of fluid out from the basin or tank.

An object of the present invention is to provide a relatively simple and economically constructed device which may be readily installed or set up by unskilled labor; which is positive in action; which comprises relatively few parts; which may be quickly adjusted without the addition to or the removal from the apparatus of any parts for automatically controlling the inflow and the outflow of liquid to and from the inclosure therefor; and a device which may be readily applied to rotary or reciprocating pumps. a a

The above, and various other objects and advantages of this invention will be in part described and in part understood, from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, the same beingillustratcd in the accompanying drawings wherein: 1

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fluid control apparatus constructed according to the present invention, and as applied to the fluidpower intake of a reciprocating pump. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of this invention, a H

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken through one type of valve which may be employed in connection with the apparatus,

and showing the improvement applied thereto. a Flg, 41 1s a slde elevatlon of the apparatus adjusted for operating reversely from that shown in Fig. 1, the mechanism being the same, but being adjusted to operate the valve reversely upon the rise and fall of the float. j i

Fig. 5 is a detail enlargedfragmentary view of the valve arm and its mounting,

Specification of Letters Patent. atente July 23,1918. Application filed July i7, 191?. Serial No. warn.

pump C adapted to lift water from the a basin A to any suitable point of delivery. The pump G is connected in the usual manner to a steam engine of the type as indicated at D, and to which a fluid power me dium is fed through a pipe E.

The device of the present invention co1nprises a valve 10, the casing or body of which may be of any suitable form, and made in any desired number of sections. In the present instance the valve 10 is disclosed of the gate type provided withthe gate *ay 11 connected to a vertically ex tending stem 12 in the form of a rack bar provided in one edge with a longitudinal row of teeth 13 which meshes with a' spur pinion l l'suitahly fixed to a shaft 15. The shaft 15 is journaled in a pair of bracket arms 16 which project laterally from the upper portion of the valve 10 and which lie against the opposite sides of the pinion 14. The shaft 15 projects beyond one of the bracket arms 16 and is provided on its projecting extremities with an annularly faced shank 17 adapted to adjustably receive thereon the inner apertured end of an operating arm 18. The inner end of the arm 18 is enlarged and provided with a transverse opening corresponding in contour to the exterior shape of the shank 17 ,and which is shown in Fig. 1, the adjustment being effected by arrangingthe arm as shown in the full and dotted linesin Fig. 5.

The valve casing orbody 10 is formed, preferably, integral with a base 19: adapted to be mounted upon a suitable support F, and which is provided in suitably spaced relation from the body 10 of the valve with a pair of posts or standards 20 whichform an upstanding bracket on the base plate 19. A rock shaft 21 is journaled between the standards 20 and is provided at any suitable point thereon with radially extending arms 22 and 23 which preferably extend at right angles with respect to each other. The arm 22 is preferably projected upwardly while the arm 23 is preferably projected horizontally and outwardly away from the valve 10. V

The arm '22 of the rock shaft21is connected to theouter end of the operating .7 aa'nr18 means of an; adjustable connect-T spaced-apart supporting arms 25 which overhang the basin A, and which carry a transverse pivot pin 26 upon which is pivot-' mounted the intermediate portion of a rocker arm 27. j The inner'end of therocker arm 27 is cohnected'by a link 28 to the free end of the arm 23, the latter overhanging the inner end'of the arm 27. The outer end of the arm 27 is pivotally connected'to a float rod'29 which is suspended from the arm 27, and upon the lower end of which is fixed a float 30. The float 30 may be of any suitable construction and material, and is preferably inthe form of three or more disks,

such asa and bottom disks made of pine wood, and an intermediate disk of cork or the like. V 7

Inoperation, the valve 10 may be connectedin the pipe 13' which supplies the power medium tothe engine D, as shown in Fig. '1. In this instance, the arm 18 is adf j'usted upon the shank 17 to extend the arm 18 upwardly, and the connecting rod 24 is correspondingly adjusted so as to dispose the Weight 30 in the desired relative position. If it isdesired to continuously withdraw a quantity of water from the basin or con cancer A, and the basin or container A is filled irregularly with water, by any val 'iabl'e mechanism, or by virtue of draining, the float 30 and the apparatus of this invention connected thereto is designed to control the feed of the action of the pump G to pre- "vent the exhaust of the water from the coni V tainerAQand to reduce the operation of the pump'Q when the water level drops.

r In this instance, the valve 1:0 is shown in FigQ I-as being-closed andthe float 30 in a lowered positionkr Should more water enter the receptacle A and theifloatrise' therein,

1 the float rod 29" then rocks "thearm 27V and draws the. link 28 thereof downwardly to rock the shaft 21', thus drawing the connect- 7 ing rod 24C outwardly and swinging'the arm 18 downwardly into a position to. raise the gate 11 of the valve. This action admits steam or'other fluid medium through the pipe'E'to the engine D and the latter then operates the pump C to withdraw water from the basin or receptacle A. The higher the surface level of the liquid in the basin or container A, the greater will be the movement of the arm 18, and the consequent lifting of the gate arm 11 so that the pump G will be driven at a greater rate of speed and will proportionately lift water from the basin A. I

When it is desired to control the flow of water into the basin A, the apparatus is adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 4-. In this adjustment, the arm 18 is removed from the shank 17 and refitted thereto in a downwardly extending position. The connecting rod is correspondingly lengthened, by the adjustment of the turnbuckle there of, and the remaining'parts of the apparatus are left substantially in the same position shown in Fig. 1. By virtue of this adjustment, as the float 30 drops the valve controlling arm 18 is lowered and the gate 11 of the valve is raised to admit a greater quantity of fluid to the basin or receptacle A. Thus, the receptacle A may be maintained full of water, or the water therein may be maintained at the desired surface level.

It will be readily appreciated that the apparatus of this invention may be applied to various other systems and conditions met with in the control of fluid than as above set forth, and that whether it be for suction from the basin, or discharged into the basin, the conditions can be met with by merely reversing the position of the arm 18 upon the operating shaft 15.

It is of course understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described parts of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.-

I claim 1. In fluid control apparatus, the combination with a basin for liquid, of a valve controlling the amount of liquid in the basin, a float in the basin adapted to rise and fall with the surface level of the liquid therein,

an. operating arm for the valve, means for adjustably connecting the operating arm to the valve, and a connection between the arm and the float for actuating the valve by the movements of the float, said adjusting means for the arm being adapted to hold the arm in position for opening the valve upon the movement of the float in one direction, or in position for closing the valve upon the movement of the float in said direction.

2. In fluid control appamtus, the combination with a basin for liquid, of a valve controlling the amount of liquid in the basin,

'a float in the basin adapted to rise and fall with the surface level of the liquid therein,

av/area an arm connected to the valve and adjustable for either opening or closing the valve upon the movement of the arm in the same direction, and a connection between the arm and the float to swing the arm upon the rise and fall of the float.

3. In a fluid control apparatus, the combination with a basin for liquid, of a valve controlling the amount of liquid in the basin, a float in the basin adapted to rise and fall with the surface level of the liquid therein, regulating means connected to the float, and a connection between the regulating means and the valve to close the valve upon the rise of the float when it is desired to retain a quantity of liquid in the basin, and adapted to be adjusted for opening the valve upon the rise of the float when it is desired to exhaust fluid from the basin.

4. In fluid control apparatus, the combination with a basin for liquid, of a valve controlling the amount of liquid in the basin, a float in the basin adapted to rise and fall with the surface level of the liquid therein, a rocker arm, a connection between the float and the rocker arm, an arm on the valve, and an adjustable connection between the arm on the valve and the rocker arm and said connection being adjustable for either opening or closing the valve upon movement of the rocker arm in the same direction.

5. In fluid control apparatus, the combination with a basin for liquid, of a valve controlling the amount of liquid in the basin, a float in the basin adapted to rise and fall with the surface level of the liquid therein, a base, bracket arms on the base, a rocker arm pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the bracket arms, a connection between one end of the rocker arm and the float, a rock shaft on the base, radially extending arms on the rock shaft projecting at right angles to each other, a link between one of said radially extending arms and the opposite end of said rocker arm, an arm on the valve, and an adjustable connecting rod between the opposite radially extending arm and said arm on the valve, said arm on the valve and said connection being adjustable for either opening or closing the valve upon movement of the rocker arm in the same direction.

6. The combination with a basin for liquid, of a valve controlling the amount of liquid in the basin, means for operating said valve including a rectangular shaft, an arm connected to the shaft and adjustable upon the shaft to open or close the valve upon operation of the arm in the same direction,

-a float in the basin, and a connection between the float and arm to operate the arm upon the rise and fall of the float.

7. The combination with a basin for liquid, of a gate valve controlling the amount of liquid in the basin, a valve stem connected to said gate valve, rack teeth formed upon said stem, a rectangular shaft, a pinion upon said shaft and meshing with said rack teeth, an arm mounted upon the shaft and adjustable thereon to open or close the valve upon operation of the arm in the same direction, a float in the basin, and a connection between the float and said arm to operate the arm upon the rise and'fall of the float.

8. lln a fluid control apparatus, the combination with a basin for liquid, a pump for controlling a. quantity of liquid, in said basin, an engine for operating said pump, a valve for controlling the passage of ope ating fluid to said engine, a float in said basin, means connecting said float and said valve for regulating the scope of movement of the valve in n'oportion with the scope of movement of the float whereby the passage of operating fluid to said engine will be regulated in proportion to the rise and fall of liquid in said basin, said connection be tween said valve and float being adjustable for either opening or closing the valve upon movement of the float in the same direction.

HARRISON B. SNYDER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, b. t. 

